By Raha Khan
On a worn-down chair in the corner of her room, Flora Montes began and completed the planning for the first Bronx Fashion Week. She used research from Google and the last $200 from her unemployment check to purchase an LLC for the venture, which has now grown into one of the Bronx’s leading fashion events.
“I run around in sneakers and sweats, and I’m not a size 2,” says Flora. “I’m not what the fashion world expects, but that’s the point. I want to highlight the beauty of the Bronx – and that lies in who we are and our authentic stories.”
Born and raised in the South Bronx, Flora grew up in the Millbrook Projects and faced adversities that she believes are shared experiences within the community. Her mother was a teen parent and her father dealt with substance abuse issues, leading to an unstable and financially difficult household.
“I was not encouraged to delve into my creative side. You’re basically told, directly and indirectly, that success doesn’t happen for people like us. You should just get a job and help your struggling family,” shares Flora. “I want to be able to change that.”
She moved to Connecticut in 1988 but returned to the Bronx in 2004, after the loss of her daughter and feeling that her heart and home were in the borough. Working as a chef during this time allowed her to build a network that she would tap into when starting her fashion business. When she was hired as a chef for Latin Fashion Week in 2012, it inspired her to bring something similar to the Bronx. The first Bronx Fashion Week was held in 2014 at Andrew Freedman Home and attracted a crowd of 300 community members. Since its founding, the organization’s mission has remained to highlight the authentic beauty of the Bronx. One model, who was Puerto Rican and Dominican, had been auditioning for shows since she was young and told that her hair was too curly. While auditioning for Bronx Fashion Week, she asked Flora if she should straighten her hair.
“I always make it known that models will keep their hair natural. That’s what makes us different. The models we work with, their shoes might be worn and their t-shirts ripped but they still have the courage to show up,” says Flora.
Empowering designers and models is important to Flora, who shares that she herself often feels looked down upon by others in the fashion industry. Without formal fashion training and due to her difficult upbringing, she doesn’t feel that she fits the usual mold of a leader in the fashion world. She encounters people at her own shows who assume that she is there for cleaning services or is part of the production team.
“I’m the CEO, but I’m also an older Latino woman, so I get looked down on. But I represent the people I’m serving. I’ve seen designers who have lived in shelters and designed on floors, who have had nothing but still create their designs,” she shares. “The fashion world and business world are changing. I want my business to live forever in the Bronx and reflect my heart and spirit through the people we touch. It’s about building legacies, not companies.”
Flora Montes is a part of the Communitas Ventures Accelerator Cohort 8. Her venture, Bronx Fashion Week, provides real-time business opportunities to local emerging and established designers and models to showcase their skills and abilities in an industry that is often non-accessible.
- share
- Copy to URL